And since the Ballet Nacional de Cuba will be performing it here in February, it'd would be a good thing to commit at least some of this to memory. As with many ballet backgrounders they go over their dream cast, the background, the music, a synopsis, other notable versions, along with what they call a mini biography. But what I go gaga over is that in a very 21st century way they also point you to videos
And that is what makes the Ballet Bag such a kick-ass website.Legends
- Gelsey Kirkland – Act I variation [link]
- Olga Spessivtseva in her signature Act I variation (diagonal of turns – instead of a manège – see also Rojo and Bouder videos below) [link]
- Alicia Alonso & Azari Plisetsky – Act II Pas de Deux [link]
- Alicia Markova & Anton Dolin, a short clip with testimonials and performance footage [link]
- Carla Fracci and Vladimir Vasiliev – Act II Pas de Deux [link]
- Natalia Makarova – Mad Scene with Mikhail Baryshnikov (Albrecht) and Frank Smith (Hilarion) in David Blair’s production [link]
- Mikhail Baryshnikov – Albrecht’s Act II variation (diagonals of brisés instead of entrechats) [link]
Today
- Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg – Act II Pas de Deux [link]
- Alina Cojocaru – Mad Scene [link]
- Olesya Novikova and POB’s Mathieu Ganio – Act II Pas de Deux [link]
- Svetlana Lunkina and Nikolai Tsiskaridze in Vladimir Vasiliev‘s Giselle [link]
- Natalia Osipova’s and ABT’s David Hallberg‘s in Vladimir Vasiliev’s Giselle [link]
- Lorena Feijóo dances the rarely seen Act I “flute variation” (also seen in Mary Skeaping’s version) [link]
- Maria Alexandrova as Myrtha [link]
- Marianela Nuñez as Myrtha [link]
- Tamara Rojo dances the Spessivtseva variation [link]
- Ashley Bouder dances the Spessivtseva variation [link]
